Chapter 72: Surveillance. Police: "Thank you for your cooperation."

He Guan: "I'd like to view the surveillance footage..."

Ning Zhihe paused from chewing the beef tendon he hadn't broken off, his expression turned grave: "What exactly are you looking for, He Guan? Our surveillance feeds go directly to the police department. Are you trying to break the law? I can't let you watch it directly. What are you trying to pull?"

He Guan stuffed a shrimp into Ning's mouth: "That's not it."

Ning Zhihe chewed loudly, then after sensing that He Guan wasn’t up to something harmful, he said: "Since you put it that way, I'll kindly hear you out."

He Guan: "It’s just the public area footage, from 12:20 pm to 12:40 pm, less than twenty minutes. I'll report to the police first, then can you accompany me to the station to review the footage?"

Ning Zhihe: "What happened? Is something wrong at your place?"

He Guan: "Well..."

Ning Zhihe: "Stop playing coy or I'll sell you out. Speak."

He Guan: "My wife is missing. I want to use the surveillance to help locate her, specifically from the third floor handicraft area of the Jiayue Department Store to the main entrance. I'm asking you not because I want the footage, but just to confirm if you have that segment."

Ning Zhihe: "???!!!"

He Guan: "Do you?"

Ning Zhihe: "Of course we do!"

As Ning Zhihe was distracted, He Guan stealthily gobbled up the last piece of meat.

*

:00 pm at the Public Security Bureau.

Two men of similar age walked into the police station together.

One was in a T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops, standing tall. His head was lowered, slightly obscuring his eyes with his hair, making him look quite photogenic. On his wrist hung a plastic bag filled with cold beers. He pursed his lips, remaining silent.

The other, similar in height and attire, was a complete contrast with his never-ending chatter.

The talkative one continued even when approaching the officer, "How can you be in the mood for BBQ with such a big issue at hand? Should I say you're composed or just carefree? Your wife is..."

The dark-haired man beside him interrupted gently upon hearing the mention of his wife, "Ning, we're here."

Ning Zhihe raised both hands in surrender, "Alright, alright, I get it. I'll stop. Seems our Mr. He gets touchy when I speak."

He Guan: "You've been sarcastically ribbing me all the way here. The fact I haven't punched you yet shows my restraint. Can we agree on that?"

Ning Zhihe clicked his tongue in admiration, "Your wife should really hear how you talk."

He Guan shrugged, "Even if she were right in front of me, I'd still say the same thing."

The officer cleared his throat and gave the desk a couple of knocks.

The two ceased their bickering, turning their attention to the officer on duty simultaneously.

Officer: "Gentlemen, what brings you here today?"

He Guan: "Well, there's something I need assistance with."

Officer: "Go on."

He Guan: "My wife has gone missing."

Officer: "???!!!"

While the officer inputted the details, Ning Zhihe leaned in, nudging He Guan, "I should've bet with you earlier. I told you the officer would be more shocked than I was. I would've won for sure."

He Guan: "He wasn't as shocked as you. Do you have any idea how loud you were? Everyone at the BBQ stand was staring at me. Keep your distance; I don't know you."

Ning Zhihe said in astonishment, "This is the first time I've realized you have a sharp tongue with people you know?"

He Guan pondered for a moment, then swiftly admitted, "… Yeah. Is it too much?"

Ning Zhihe: "Not at all. You used to reply with just a word or two on WeChat. I thought maybe you didn't like hanging out with me."

He Guan: "No, I just didn't have much time at home with my wife. And what do you mean 'a word or two'? I always responded. You expect too much from me. I don't even chat with my wife on WeChat. How could I chat with you all day? Is that appropriate?"

Ning Zhihe feigned surrender, "Stop, stop. That's enough public display of affection for today. If you keep it up, I'll literally die of jealousy right in front of you."

He Guan: "Didn't you mention someone was picking you up…?"

Just as Ning Zhihe was about to respond, the officer, having finished the paperwork, interrupted.

Officer: "Alright, everything's in order. I'm currently accessing the surveillance footage and need to liaise with the storage company…"

Ning Zhihe held up his phone: "No problem, I'll have them ready to take the call immediately."

Officer: "Ah, oh, you are…?"

Ning Zhihe: "Yes, let's expedite this. It's a serious matter."

He Guan: "Indeed."

Yet, throughout, a cloud of suspicion hung over Ning Zhihe.

He Guan always mentioned his wife when talking, but now that she's missing, he seemed the most composed of all.

When it came to viewing the surveillance, Ning Zhihe initially wanted to step aside, but He Guan asked him to stay, reassuring him that it was alright.

So, he stayed, watching the footage alongside He Guan.

The twenty-minute recording passed quickly, especially since they were watching at eight times the speed.

The footage clearly showed that after Du Junyan sent a message to He Guan and lowered his head, a group of five people walked from the south end to the handicraft section and started selecting flowers.

Ning Zhihe narrowed his eyes.

Which one is his wife? From his perspective, she seemed…

In the next moment, one of the shorter elderly individuals bumped into a young man beside her.

Ning Zhihe could distinctly feel He Guan’s breath becoming lighter.

Is this the wife? She looks pretty tall...

The elderly person seemed surprised and said something to the young man.

The camera angle was a bit off, making it difficult to capture the elderly person's facial expression. However, it didn't seem as if she was threatening him or anything of the sort.

That was evident as none of the four individuals following her seemed to be on guard.

But with just one sentence from her, the young man seemed stunned.

He first released the flowers in his hand, then seemed to ask something, to which the elderly woman responded with a warm smile.

What followed next was beyond anyone's expectations.

The young man abruptly kicked over a table in front of him.

Bystanders, including the shop assistants, were taken aback and swiftly moved out of the way. The young man’s sudden rage appeared utterly baseless.

Among the group accompanying the elderly woman, two bodyguards tried to restrain him. However, he evaded them skillfully, advancing towards the elderly woman.

By this point, the elderly woman had already retreated near the entrance. Another man with glasses who was with her started compensating the shop owners for the disturbance and began discussing the matter with a manager who had just arrived.

The young man's subsequent actions were quite baffling.

He seemed disoriented, bumping into a plant stand on the side. Guided by faint sounds, he continued to move towards the elderly woman.

Someone who appeared to be his driver tried to assist him but was stopped by one of the elderly woman's bodyguards.

What remained was the process of the young man being subdued.

Ultimately, they entered a blind spot in the surveillance, disappearing down the staircase through a fire exit.

After quickly reviewing this, Ning Zhihe glanced at He Guan, noticing deep furrows on his brow.

He Guan was considering the moment of the injection.

It likely took place within that blind spot.

The footage continued to play.

Subsequently, Lou Dongzang exited the ground floor elevator. By then, he seemed disoriented. Staggering a step in the lobby, he clutched his head, his face contorted in pain.

Unbeknownst to He Guan, he had clenched his palm tightly.

He knew what Lou Dongzang was up to.

The noise was overwhelming; he couldn't discern where the exit was.

All that was left was him running into the rain.

In the pouring rain, some cameras blurred, but from the others...

Before He Guan found Lou Dongzang, he was alone.

After reviewing, the two experienced officers could only conclude, "This only confirms that your spouse went... missing. From the moment he left the building until the rain started, no one approached him."

He Guan requested further surveillance footage.

This time, the camera only covered another alleyway. Lou Dongzang emerged and quickly disappeared from view.

He Guan: "Isn't there supposed to be another alleyway beyond that one?"

Officer: "Yes, but it leads to an abandoned residential area. Our cameras there often get vandalized. One was broken just this morning. With the rain, we haven't had a chance to replace it yet."

The officer's voice trailed off, sensing something amiss.

But the footage was clear. In the rain, Lou Dongzang had simply vanished. They had to proceed as if it were a missing person case.

Only upon exiting the police station did Ning Zhihe ask, "Can I... ask?"

Standing on the precinct steps, He Guan smiled, "If you know you shouldn't ask but still want to, I can't stop you."

Ning Zhihe: "Is Lou Dongzang... not quite right?"

He wanted to say "problematic," but settled for "not quite right."

He Guan: "Yes."

Ning Zhihe: "Haven't you considered seeking a doctor or something?"

He Guan: "He doesn't like it."

After a pause, Ning Zhihe patted He Guan on the shoulder in a gesture of encouragement.

He Guan chuckled, "What are you doing? It feels weird."

Ning Zhihe: "Can you not be so dramatic? I'm just trying to be supportive here."

He Guan let out a laugh.

He Guan had long braced himself for such behavior from Lou Dongzang.

He once fantasized about what love with a "normal" person might look like. However, the more he pondered, the more he realized that being with Lou Dongzang felt right and comforting.

He and Lou Dongzang were at their most relaxed and at ease when together.

Outside, no matter who he spoke to, there was always a hint of guardedness in him.

Perhaps the layered structure of Zang Dongyuan gave him a sense of being enveloped. Or maybe Lou Dongzang's post-romance demeanor was consistently gentle and accommodating. But in any case, whenever he was there...

He was truly in his most genuine and relaxed state.

As for Lou Dongzang being 'not normal'...

Setting aside who gets to define 'normal', what does it matter if he isn't?

It's great if both are considered normal. But having just one "normal" person in the household is sufficient, and he's pretty average himself.

As for the other, whether they want to be normal or not doesn’t matter.

With so many people and so many ways to live in the world, having someone like Lou Dongzang isn't such a bad thing.

A Range Rover pulled up to the police station's entrance. He Guan noticed it parking near two individuals and asked, "Is this for you?"

Ning Zhihe glanced at the license plate: "Yep, my younger brother came to pick me up."

He Guan: "Your brother? I thought..."

Ning Zhihe: "Or you could introduce me to someone. I'm into women, just so you know."

He Guan: "With just that requirement, you expect me to play matchmaker? Dream on."

Ning Zhihe: "Didn't you say you can surf the web? Let’s chat on WeChat. I don't feel like talking here."

As they conversed, the driver, masked securely, approached them from the car. Stopping at the stairs, he called out, "Bro."

Ning Zhihe: "Here's my treasured brother!"

Turning to He Guan, he bid farewell, "I'm off, my brother's here. Let me know if you need anything. You can always call me before you find your wife. Don't be too disheartened, the police will find her. This is all I can do for now."

He mistakenly thought He Guan was distraught because Lou Dongzang had run away, feeling both relief and guilt, torn between emotions.

In reality, that wasn't the case at all.

He Guan waved at him: "Safe travels, goodbye."

After saying that, He Guan descended the steps and walked in the opposite direction of the two.

Street lights were well-placed, illuminating the night in resplendent glory.

They stood like loyal tin soldiers, casting beautiful and gentle silhouettes for passing pedestrians.

A man stood under a street lamp, holding a beer. The light graced the edges of his hair with a warm glow.

He directed his gaze to the tiny insects dancing beneath the lamp, narrowing his eyes, enduring their incessant buzzing, lost in thought.

The sudden ring of a phone disrupted the quiet under the streetlight.

He Guan answered.

"Hello, is this Mr. He Guan? I'm calling from the downtown district police station. You had reported an incident on a cruise ship some time ago..."

"Yes, that's me. Any developments regarding the cruise?"

"Yes, it concerns that. The police need your assistance..."

"Tell me how I can help, and I will fully cooperate."

"Our SWAT team will contact you when necessary. Thank you for your cooperation. Goodbye."

“……”

He Guan ended the call, a frown of confusion forming on his face.

SWAT?

Who?

Could someone close to him be an undercover officer?